The Matchmaker's Gift(50)
When they left, Will smiled as if he’d won the lottery. “Can you imagine if Nicole actually hired me?” he said. “Imagine how impressed the partners would be if I brought in a client like her. It would put me on the fast track to partnership!”
Abby couldn’t believe that after meeting a woman like Nicole, Will was still thinking about work. “Nicole’s really charming, don’t you think?” she asked.
“I guess. How much do you think the new company will earn?”
“And she’s beautiful, too, right? I mean, really stunning.”
“I guess so, but isn’t that her job? Models are supposed to look like that.”
“Remember, though, she’s not just a model. She’s a designer, too, a businesswoman. Did you know she also studies at NYU? It takes an incredibly impressive person to do all of those things simultaneously.”
Will looked confused. “Abby, what’s going on?”
“What do you mean? I was only telling you more about her.…”
“You sound like you want to set me up with her or something. Nicole is engaged to be married. To your client. The woman is a model engaged to a millionaire.”
“I know that, Will.” Abby tried to keep herself from blushing.
“So, why do you sound like my great-aunt Helen trying to fix me up with her canasta partner’s granddaughter?” He changed his voice to mimic his aunt. “Let me tell you, Willie, this one’s a real catch. So smart, and such a personality!”
Abby snorted. “Sorry,” she said. “I really admire Nicole, that’s all. I can’t help it if I think she’s great.”
Will cupped Abby’s chin gently with one hand and kissed her cheek. “You know who else is great? You.”
* * *
Abby made a preemptive call to Diane as soon as she walked into her apartment.
“Well?” Diane said. “Did anything interesting happen?”
“Not from a legal perspective,” Abby said. “The show was terrific, and the clothes were beautiful. Very different from Victor’s classic line.”
“And what did Victor say? Did you talk to him?”
“Yes, he was charming as ever, of course. He introduced the collection and spoke about the inspiration—a lot of stuff about combining elegance and comfort. Kind of interesting actually, but not exactly relevant to his prenuptial agreement.”
“Okay, good. No mention of another company or collaboration?”
“Nope, nothing. No surprises.” Except for the possibility that Nicole’s soulmate may be the guy I’m kind of dating.
When she got off the phone, Abby went to the kitchen and poured herself a heaping bowl of sugary cereal. Her mother had always banned the stuff, insisting they eat oatmeal or whole wheat toast instead. But when Grandma Sara moved in, the ban was lifted. “Beverly, sweetheart,” Abby’s grandmother had said, “I can live without the beach and without my mahjong game, but I’ll be damned if I’m giving up my Lucky Charms.” Fourteen years later, it was still Abby’s favorite.
As she spooned the green clovers and pink marshmallow hearts into her mouth, Abby thought back on the events of the evening. Had her grandmother experienced similar visions? I see what I see, and I know what I know. How many times had Abby heard her utter those words? But Grandma Sara had never actually described the specifics of what she saw or the details of what she knew. And as far as Abby could tell from reading her journals, she hadn’t written about it either.
In spite of the surprise the night had delivered, Abby did not feel disappointed. She was not sorry to know that Will was not meant to be hers. Instead, she was filled with a sense of relief as sweet as the milk at the bottom of her bowl. There was something more, too—a snap of excitement, the electric crackle of possibility. Were Nicole and Will truly a match? She wondered whether she had done enough to set things between the two of them in motion.
Then again, what if she had done too much? A sudden wave of dread coursed through her; the cereal in her stomach turned to lead. It was one thing to ensure that Evelyn Morgan was certain that she wanted to end her marriage. But to encourage a client’s fiancée to cheat on him in the middle of negotiations for a multimillion-dollar prenuptial agreement?
There was no question that if anyone found out, Abby’s legal career would be over.
THIRTEEN
SARA
1918
A Stab in the Heart
For the first time since her sister got married, Sara Glikman questioned her calling. It wasn’t that she doubted her abilities—she was as certain as ever of her gift—it was that the heartbreak of having to give up Nathan had taken the joy out of her occupation.
She wondered if this was part of the reason her father wanted her to marry before making matches. Had he predicted the melancholy that might come? Had he foreseen that her abilities might force her to lie to someone she loved? After a week of sleepless nights, Sara decided to pay a visit to Rabbi Sheinkopf.
She found him in his study at the synagogue, poring over a newspaper. “The War Department has met with the Jewish Welfare Board,” he said. He cleared his throat and read out loud. “A double triangle will be placed above the graves of the Jewish soldiers who fall in France, instead of the cross.”